Stagnaro Charter Boats

There were eight in our party. As one of those that was not losing lunch over the side or stern of the boat the trip was fairly enjoyable. There were about 50 on the trip and I was witness to about 8 leaning over the rail to toss their lunch. Since the trip was scheduled for 4 hours they kept us out there for 4 hours even though we left the area where the whales were after about 2.5 hours. We rode about 8 foot swells for an hour of seeing not much at all. Most of us would have gone back in after 2.5 hours and been happy about the trip. 1.5 painful and rough hours with not much to see. Now the good part. While we were near the whales, there were whales all around us. We saw many spouts from the whales and got pretty close to to some blue whales. We were also close to humpback whales, We saw flukes of both blue and humpback whales. There were more humpback than blue whales. At one point two humpbacks surprised the crew by surfacing on the left side of the boat then again on the right side of the boat. If you don't get sea sick the trip was certainly worth doing. It's something I'll always remember.

We went 7/12/12, saw a few blues and plenty of humpbacks. Awesome is an overused word but........ Rough seas made moving around Stagnaros Velocity a challenge. My wife got knocked to the deck once, and a clumsy guy fell on top of her another time. Check maritime conditions if that might be an issue. The captain got us in good position for viewing, though his PA system sounded like a bad burger ordering intercom. Informed friendly naturalist on board. It's always fun to be on the bay, but if you really want to see whales, do your online research to make sure they are in the bay.

The people working on the boat were very nice. There was plenty of room to move around. We saw a whole bunch of whales. It was awesome!!!

Saw lots of humpback and blue whales. Also saw sea otters at the end of the trip. Well equipped boat. Helpful and friendly crew. It was a beautiful warm day in Santa Cruz but very cold and damp out in the bay. Some of our group wish they had brought more clothes and warmer footwear.

Of course there is no guarantee of what will be seen, but the staff does its best to ensure a great experience

We booked this trip expecting to see a couple of whales and have a good time - while we were out on the water, we saw SO many whales and the staff were SO knowledgeable and friendly! We were lucky to see the number of whales we did, but nonetheless, the staff made the trip extremely exciting and a learning experience as well. I would highly recommend going whale watching for people of all ages! It is a phenomenal experience!

We were treated to a great display of the Humpbacks feeding on the krill. Several dozen whales were within site at one time. A special outing, with a friendly and informative crew.

This was a fantastic trip. Stagnaro's know what they are doing and they provide a wonderful experience. We had an A+ day and got to see many different species of whales and porpoises. It was an awesome experience.

Just one of many exciting trips with Stagnaro Charter Boats. Today was awesome. We saw a Gray whale with her calf, hundreds of white sided dolphins, Hump Back whales that crossed our bow within 20 feet and a large pod of Orcas (killer whales)that appeared to be as curious about us as we were about them. Plenty of room inside, where it's warm and hot food, snacks and beverages are available for purchase, if you are reluctant to spend all of your trip outside. I love the bow rail, even on cold days, but the less windy area, at the stern, has benches and plenty of rail space to get a first look or take pictures. Excellent naturalist on board to explain, in detail, what you are observing and to answer your questions. Take your out of town visitors for a very special treat. I did and my guest said she would never forget this awesome experience.

Been on lots of whale watching trips from Alaska to Hawaii and found our outing to be well run. Friendly staff, well organized and they found three groups of whales! I felt they respected the whales while still giving us good opportunities to observe their journey. We will be back to see the humpbacks!

very nice afternoon boatride was wonderful saw a sea otter before even left the docks saw risso dolphines and 4 grey whales and black albatross the crew were very nice and took all the time to answer questions and they were funny and smart i will do this again

We saw quite a few whales, on a picture perfect day! The staff was very helpful and informative about the whales we were sighting. Plan on doing this again when a different whale season would be likely. Do take precautions for possible seasickness if you have that issue at all. Take this trip, it's so worth it.

No whales or any sea life, which is not your fault but maybe better disclosure of what to expect this time of year would help. Boat was too crowded-you could barely walk and there was not really room for everyone to sit or enough back rail space for everyone to throw up. I know you need to make money but a few less people would have made it a little better. It was very long considering the roughness of the sea. I think the captain was trying to find whales, but after 3 hours or so people just wanted to get off. The crew was nice.

our group really enjoyed the adventure..seen a couple whales..lots of jelly fish..not alot of sitting on the outside of boat..has seats on inside with food and drinks to purchase. the almost 4hr trip was good with them patiently looking for sea life. I always just enjoying being out in the nature..

they were very helpful while we were on our way out to explain what we were going to see, what to look for and what to expect There was a marine expert on board to answer any and all questions They took us to see See Otters, Sea Lions, Dolpins and two groups of whales. gave us plenty of time to see and and take as many photographs as we wanted they even gave us an extra hour on the tour so we could find and photograph another pod of whales